11K Cookie Boxes Sold: Girl Scouts Celebrates South Jersey Teen

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ — Over a 13-year career, local Girl Scout Teresa Maahs has sold more than 11,000 colorful boxes of those beloved cookies.

The 18-year-old West Deptford native has also earned a Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive, for collecting treasures and memories from community members.

The Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey is celebrating Maahs for her work in the community and for her troop as she hits this milestone, and thanking a local VIP who helped her. The GSCSNJ launched the “I Sold Cookies to a VIP” program last year to recruit local community leaders and influencers to surprise Girl Scouts at their cookie booths.

Gloucester County Commissioner Nick DeSilvio bought Maahs' last box of cookies for the 2022 program, said the local Girl Scout council.

"Girl Scouts love when people stop to purchase their cookies," said the GSCSNJ. "It is a special treat when a former Girl Scout or community leader stops to show their support."

Maahs' goal was 10,000 boxes but the GSCSNJ said she surpassed that by more than 1,000 by the end of her sale in 2022. She planned her business over the years and set up sales channels to ensure her success.

Maahs, who also graduated last year from Gloucester County Institute of Technology in the top 15 percent of her class, said Girl Scouts has had a big impact on her life.

"I learned how to take chances, set goals, and made lifelong friends," Maahs said. " It was a special honor to have Commissioner DiSilvo and Ginny Hill, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central and Southern NJ visit my cookie booth last year. Sometimes we think that our effort is not noticed but it really is. I am glad that Girl Scouts helped me to learn how to make a difference for me and for my community."

Proceeds from cookie sales stay with the scout or their troop. Maahs used proceeds to fund troop activities including badges for CPR and babysitting, leadership and STEM programs, camping adventures, and community service projects for Troop 63232. The Girl Scouts from this troop delivered gift and supply bags to the West Deptford Police Department and overnight staff at the Jefferson ICU#2 floor in Washington Township.

Her Gold Award project was titled “Remember Me – Stories Across the Generations," the council said For this project, Maahs preserved stories, memories, traditions and ideas that may have otherwise been lost and shared them in a book, on social media, and in a website.

"Teresa wanted to make sure that our communities treasures – the stories and traditions- are not erased by time, aging, and memory loss," the council said. "She knows that future generations will be grateful."

Maahs participated in Girl Scouting as an Ambassador in 2022, the GSCSNJ said, meaning she could plan her goals and activities as an independent Girl Scout. She is now a Lifetime Member, staying connected to the organization through Girl Scout adult activities and supporting current Girl Scouts by dropping by cookie booths and staying connected to the mission.

"Teresa is a remarkable Girl Scout and citizen," the council said. "She is an inspiration to community that with confidence and a bit of courage, you can accomplish many things."